1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to castable binders for use in the manufacture of plastic bonded explosives.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Laminac polyester resins, which are made and sold by the American Cyanamid Company, are well known and are widely used for many purposes. One purpose for which they have been used is in the manufacture of plastic pyrotechnic compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,558 discloses pyrotechnic compounds utilizing, among other ingredients, Laminac resin 4128 and Laminac resin 4134. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,558, the use of benzyl alcohol to stabilize the product against brittleness is disclosed and magnesium and a perchlorate (potassium or ammonium) are incorporated to manufacture illuminant flares.
In efforts to provide a castable binder for explosive compositions, the inventor experimented with various compositions which were similar to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,558 in that Laminac resins 4128 and 4134 were used. The compositions experimented with by the inventor differed from those of U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,558 in that styrene replaced the benzyl alcohol. These compositions all failed to pass brittleness tests.
Other experiments showed that neither Laminac 4134 nor Laminac 4128 could be used, with styrene, to produce castable binders for explosives. If either of these resins is used alone with styrene difficulties arise in the curing process and resiliance is not satisfactory.